📖 Meaning
A large piece of fine jade with a small blemish. It is a metaphor for a person of great talent who has only minor shortcomings. The idiom suggests that excellent qualities should not be dismissed because of small defects.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Song dynasty work 'Baozhen Zhai Fashu Zan' (宝真斋法书赞) by the scholar Yue Ke (岳珂), who was the grandson of the famed general Yue Fei. In a commentary praising the calligraphy of Jiang Guanwen, Yue Ke wrote '尺瑜寸瑕，工所不弃' — meaning that a craftsman would not discard fine jade merely because of a small blemish. The expression thus came to convey that true talent should be valued despite minor imperfections.
💡 Example Usage
这位学者虽偶有偏颇之论，然尺瑜寸瑕，不足为病。
Though this scholar occasionally makes biased arguments, his great learning has but minor flaws, which are not worth faulting.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 尺瑜寸瑕
- Pinyin: chǐ yú cùn xiá
- Literal Translation: foot, fine jade, inch, flaw
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4